Is it safe to delete Colima virtual machines?
The Linux virtual machines Colima runs containers in, with their disks and container data.
Review first
It's your own data, or hard to recreate. Decide item by item.
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What it is
Colima runs Docker and other container runtimes inside Linux virtual machines that it manages with Lima, and keeps each profile's machine and disks in this folder. The disks grow as you pull images and create containers and volumes; Colima gives unused space back when it starts. Volumes can hold data you made, such as local databases.
If it's removed
A deleted profile's virtual machine is removed, and unless you keep it, so is its container data: images, containers and volumes. Colima creates a new machine the next time you start that profile.
What to do instead
Colima manages these profiles and can delete the ones you no longer need, with or without their container data.
The free analyzer finds it and explains it. The app never removes it.
Sources
Last checked on 26 Sep 2026. Every entry is written and checked by hand; the app and the command-line tool use the same words.